ESOL Certification

RISPE’s ESOL Certification Program is a 5-course, 13- or 16-month program with a virtual and synchronous course instruction model for Rhode Island educators in grades PK-12. Our programs are designed by teachers, for teachers. Every aspect of our programming, from the calendar, to clinical coaching, to the coursework is designed to maximize your time and provide you with learning and feedback that is immediately applicable in your classroom.

We seek to ensure Rhode Island’s students, many of whom are diverse English lerners, have culturally competent teachers. 

Support Structure

As a RISPE ESOL teacher candidate, you will be provided with a Clinical Coach as a non-evaluative resource during the first semester. The clinical and observational component of the program will be held in-person in your individual classroom and evaluated by a Supervising Practitioner. In addition, each cohort will be guided by an ESOL Program Specialist and have access to both RISPE’s academic and certification support staff. 

Schedule

We offer a convenient schedule that aligns with the Rhode Island public school calendar. We offer two annual cohorts. One which starts in June and runs primarily during the summer months and one which starts in January which runs primarily on a weekdays throughout the school year. Calendars for our current and upcoming cohorts are linked below.

Cohort 5 Program Calendar: Jan 2022 - Jun 2023

Cohort 6 Program Calendar: Jun 2022 - Aug 2023

Cohort 7 Program Calendar: Jan 2023 - Jun 2024

Cohort 8 Program Calendar: Jun 2023 - July 2024

Courses

ESOL 500 Applied Linguistics for Educators of English Language Learners

ESOL 510 Curriculum, Methods, & Materials for Teachers of English Language Learners

ESOL 520 Sociocultural Foundations of TESOL

ESOL 530 Literacy Acquisition for English Language Learners

ESOL 540 Second Language Assessment and Evaluation

Please visit this link to view course descriptions.

Cost

Tuition is $8000 which may be reimbursable, in whole or in part, by your district and there is no cost to apply.